Louis maiche



(No Model.)

L. MAIGHE.

TELE GRAPHY3 No. 364,271. Patented June 7, 1887.

FIG. 5.

Lane

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS MAIGHE, or PARIS, FRANCE.

TELEGRAPHY.

$PECIPICA'1ION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,271, dated June 7, 1887.

Application filed O tuber 15, 1886. Serial No. 216,299. (No model.) Patented in England July 30, 1886, No. 9,816.

Letters Patent in England, dated July 30, 1886, No. 9,816,) of which the following is a full, i

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved transmitting -iustr ument for submarine and other long-distance telegraph-lines. The transmis sion of electrical impulses, as is well known,

is very much less rapid through subterranean or submarine cables than through overground lines, by reason of and in proportion to the electric-static capacity of the cable, or, in other words, its power of condensation, the cause of the retardation in the transmission of signals being due much less to the time necessary to charge the cable, which speedily attains a degree SllffiClGlllj to actuate the receiving-instruments, than to the time necessary to discharge the cable-that is to say, for its return to the neutral condition. To obviate the difficulty it is usual to make use of a transmitter-key, which, after the passage of each current, puts the cable to earth, so as to get rid of the residual charge of the cable. In lieu of this a band of perforated paper has been caused to pass between two metallic rollers, the current passing from the one to the other through the perforations, whereby more regular currents are emitted than by a hand-worked instrument, there being two series of perforations to each kind of signal, the one series corresponding to the emissions of the charging-current and the other to those of the current in the opposite direction for neutralizing the charge. The message must thereforebeprepared beforehand by perforating the band of paper; and it is necessary to transmit the whole message as thus prepared without the power of interrnption in case of unintelligibility.

This invention consists in a new automatic distribnter of the currents necessary for transmission, which permits the retaining of the ordinary mode of sending and receiving with nndiminished rapidity,while affording facility for interruption and repetition, as may be re quired from the shaft by friction-gear.

line 1 2.

train actuated either by a spring-barrel or other power, whereby a regular rotary mo-' tion is obtained for actuating the distributor proper.

The distributer consists of a train of clockwork having continuous motion, the last shaft of the train being governed by a fly and rotating at a given speed and carrying eccentric or cam-like contact-disks, which are driven are normally held at rest by detents; but when one of them is released by the action of a local current established by means of an ordinary key used as a manipulator, one of the contacts is allowed to make a single revolution, after which it is again arrested. Du ring the revolution it touches successively two contact-springs, whereby first a working-current is sent through the line and afterward a current for neutralizing the residual charge. The position of the contact-springs is capable of being so regulated as to give the charge and discharge durations proportional to the capacity of the couple and adjustable according to its daily condition.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, I have represented in the accompanying drawings, by way of example, different views of a transmitting apparatus constructed according to this invention.

Figure lshows an elevation,and Fig. 2aplan, of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a section taken on Fig. 1 is drawn on an enlarged scale.

In the figures the same letters of reference indicate the same parts.

a is the base, and b the plates, in which is mounted the clock-train 0, provided with a fly, d, for imparting a uniform rotary motion to shaft e, upon which are keyed two friction-' disks, f f, against which two other disks, i,

The contacts loose on the shaft, are pressed by a spring, h.

The loose disks have eccentric contacts is It, of platinum. The loose disks are each furnished withstop-pins forengagementwith correspond- ICQ ing detents, 2-1, for preventing their rotation by the disks f f. The detents Z Z are carried by the armatures of two eleetro-magnets, m m', whose operation will be described hereainfter. Upon an insulating-support, n, are mounted four springs, 0 p and 0 1), connected diagonally by conductors r s, as shown in Fig. 3, connecting the supporting-brackets u t and a t. The brackets t t, supporting the lower ones of each pair of springs, are connected, the one to the right to the positive pole of a battery, of which the negative pole is to earth, and that on the left to the negative pole of another battery, the positive pole of which is to earth. The contacts 70k communicate with the line through the shaft 6.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: By means of a local battery and an ordinary double key a current is sent through the terminal 1 and the terminals 2 or 3 through the one or other electro-magnet m or m. Suppose the current to be sent through m, the arma ture-lever Z of that magnet is attracted and the loose friction-disk i and corresponding contact, is, released. The disk i is then rotated by frictional contact with the corresponding friction-disk, f, and its contact k, being carried around with it, comes in contact first with the lower spring, 0, and then with the upperspring, 12. By this action a negative current from the first battery is sent through the line through the wire or, bracket t, spring 0, contact k, and shaft 6, and after a short interval, when the contact It: has quitted spring 0 and touched spring 19, a positive current from the second battery is sent through the line by the wire 1 conductor 1*, bracket to, spring p, contact 70, and shaft 6. This second current, being in the opposite direction to the first, has for its object to return the line to a neutral condition before the emission of another current for producing the next signal of the message. If the local current is sent through the other electromagnet, m, the operation is similar; but the poles of the line-battery are put to line by the contact It" in the inverse direction that is to say, the line, instead of receiving first a negative current and then a positive current, which neutralizes the charge of the first, receives first a positive current and then a nega tive current.

In each case the contact, after performing a complete revolution, is again arrested by the corresponding armaturelever, and cannot again rotate without a fresh current being sent through the electromagnet.

It will be understood that in order to effect the neutralization of the charge in the line by the second current, which follows the signaling or working current, it is necessary that the passage of these twosuccessive currents should take place during predetermined periods, the relative durations of which must be regulated according to the conditions in which the line is placed. In order to permit of this regula tion, the springs o 2 0'39 and their support a may be shifted relatively to the contacts k,

the support it being for this purpose mounted on a bracket, 27, pivoted on a center eccentric to the shaft 0, and provided with a toothed segment, 10, gearing with a tangent screw, .2, by which the springs 0 1) 0'1) are adjusted relativelyto the contacts 7c in such a manner as to vary the duration of the contact -springs with the eccentrics. The center about which this adjustment is effected is coincident with the center of the eccentric contact k k.

I claim- 1. An instrument for automatically trans mitting and distributing currents of opposite polarity to telegraph-lines,which consists of a shaft positively and regularly driven, a contact eccentrieally and loosely mounted on said shaft, means for throwing said contact into and out ofoperative connection with said shaft, and two points on opposite sides of the contact which are charged with currents of opposite polarity and against which the contact inr pinges, substantially as described.

2. In an instrument for automatically transmittiug and distributing currents of opposite polarity to telegraph-lines, the combination of a shaft positively and regularly driven, a contact loosely mounted on said shaft, means operated by a local battery for throwing said contact into and out of operative connection with the shaft, and two points or springs on opposite sides of the contact, which are charged with currents of opposite polarity and against which the contact alternatively impinges, substantiall y as described.

3. In an instrument for automatically transmitting and distributing currents of opposite polarity to telegraph-lines, the combination of a contact, a motor for rotating said contact, means-operated by a local battery for controlling the connection between the contact and motor, two points on opposite sides of contacts which are charged with currents of op posite polarity and with which the contact alternalively impinges, and means for regulating the duration of the imparted current, substantiall y as described.

4. In an instrument for automatically-trans mitting and distributing currents of opposite polarity to telegraph-lines, the combination of a shaft positively and regularly driven, two contacts loosely mounted on said shaft, means operated by a local battery for throwing the contacts into and out of operative connection with said shaft, and points or springs on opposite sides of each of the contacts,thediagonallyopposite points being charged with currents of a different polarity from .the other two and with which the contactimpinges, substantially as described.

The foregoing specification of my improvements in transmitting-instruments for sub marine and other long-distance telegraph-lines signed by me this Zlst day of August, 1886.

' LOUIS MAICHE.

Witnesses:

R0131. M. I-IooPER, FERDINAND BARBE. 

